Mind-Body Connection
The writer, Ayyad Dilawar Padhani is in Marketing at his family optical practice. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Marketing and related support services. He has been rendering community services from a very early age.
The most blessed month of the year has once again visited us, a guest in a hurry to leave us. May we be able to maximise the last 10 nights, among which the night of power (laylatul Qadr) is one of them. This essay would like to briefly explore the physical and mental well-being that can be achieved through the blessed month. From physical actions, starting with fasting itself, abstaining from food, improving the will power, and other actions such as prolonged prayers, extended Quran recitations and a variety of charitable acts, that allow us to come out of the month stronger spiritually, with a renewed strength.
Fasting and Resilience
Fasting has multiple physical benefits such as detoxification of the body from the constant eating that has plagued the modern world, our metabolic processes are given rest, and a chance to revitalise itself. Furthermore, inflammation throughout the body is reduced, and mental resilience is significantly improved. While the physical benefits are undeniable, the mental and spiritual benefits greatly exceed them.
Imam Ali (AS), explains that fasting is not only about abstaining from food and drink but also about purifying the soul from moral impurities:
“The fast is not [only] to abstain from food and drink, but rather from lying, falsehood, and vanity.”
The purification of the soul and mind that we get from correctly fasting, are as indicated in the hadith, where we learn to abstain from vain talks, profanity, lies, and other moral indecencies that we may otherwise have gotten accustomed to doing in other months. Simply the message is, if we can abstain from food, then acts that are disliked by God, should be alot easier.
Prayer and Mental Clarity
In this Holy Month, we often try to pray more mustahab prayers, or at least pray our obligatory ones closer to its Adaa time. This first helps us with discipline that we can carry forward after Mahe Ramadhan, but also the very physical movements in salaah help with blood flow, anxiety reduction and improved cognitive function.
The continued remembrance of Allah (swt) brings taqwa to the forefront of our lives, constantly in remembrance of our Creator, which allows us to make better decisions in our day to day life because we can prioritise the hereafter over this temporary world.
Compassion and Giving
Finally, an important element of this month is the act of charity, especially giving food, clothes, stationary for school children and financial assistance. Western academic studies have recently shown that giving has a positive effect on the givers brain, in that it releases happy hormones that reduce anxiety. Moreover, the spiritual effect is forgiveness of sins, alot of barakah and blessings, and an increase in rizq. The orphans of Kufa were particularly taken care of by Imam Ali (as) and we should also strive to find ways to help children in our communities who have lost their parents. Acts of compassion bring about social harmony, and balances the wealth of the rich to the poor, wealth that Allah (swt) grants.
In conclusion, fasting, prayer, and charity all contribute to the purification of the body and mind, allowing us to attain a state of balance. By engaging fully in the spiritual journey of Ramadan, we can achieve a deeper sense of self-awareness, mental well-being, and physical vitality, embodying the mind-body connection in its truest form.
More from this writer:
Writers Panel | A Simple Thought | Obituaries | Ziarat Ashura | Islamic Calendar | Facebook | Instagram
